


Of Blood and Magic

by TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel



Series: Fae Sarah [1]
Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Courtship, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Magic, Post-Movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2014-12-27
Packaged: 2018-03-03 19:58:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2885636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel/pseuds/TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One of Sarah's ancestors was one of the fae, and after Sarah's brush with the Labyrinth, her heritage begins to manifest itself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Blood and Magic

**Author's Note:**

> _This... wasn't supposed to be so long. Anyway, this is kind of a strange story, but I had to write it anyway. Hopefully you'll enjoy it._

After Sarah ran the Labyrinth, things seemed to go back to normal. But only on the surface.

Sarah didn’t notice the changes, at first. She was too busy being glad that she’d won her brother back and escaped the Goblin King. The changes were small, anyway, and seemed to be nothing more than coincidence. So what if some of the newer electronic equipment in the house suddenly stopped working? Things broke down all the time, right?

Except… that stuff only ever broke down after Sarah had used it or been close to it, and the incidence of breakdowns went from one or two things breaking down here and there, to everything breaking down all the time. The VCR. Sarah’s clock-radio. Her father’s new and very expensive computer.

After a while Sarah’s father and step-mother started joking that maybe she should keep away from anything electrical, just in case.

A while after that, they stopped joking.

It was at about this point that Sarah started getting an itching feeling every time she went near the iron horseshoe Irene kept over the kitchen doorway for good luck. She tried to shake it off, but as time went by, the feeling got stronger and stronger, until Sarah dreaded having to duck through the kitchen doorway.

Sarah didn’t know what was going on, exactly, but the combination of everything that had happened niggled at her, as though she should be able to work it out. It was as though Sarah had pieces to a puzzle, but not enough to work out the full picture, leaving her guessing.

And then, one morning, when Sarah was tying her hair back in a ponytail in front of the mirror, she noticed that the tips of her ears were ever-so-slightly pointed.

And finally, the last pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

Sarah stared at her reflection, and felt faint.

“I think I’m in trouble,” she murmured aloud.

* * *

Sarah wasn’t sure what to do with her newfound knowledge.

So, apparently she was turning into one of the fae, if her understanding of myths and folktales was correct. Sarah didn’t know why, or how, but she was convinced that it had _something_ to do with the Labyrinth. How else could she suddenly have started transforming into something else? Besides, the timing was too close for it to be anything but suspicious – the strange incidents had started shortly after Sarah had returned home, although she hadn’t thought anything of it at first. It had to be either the Labyrinth or the Goblin King.

Sarah had always dreamed of being special, but now that it was actually happening, she found that it wasn’t comfortable at all. Avoiding iron was harder than you’d think, especially with a horseshoe over the kitchen doorway, and Sarah noticed things that she never had before – like the fact that not everyone she saw was human. A number of times Sarah was out walking when she saw people who were definitely fae or some other kind of magical being – they were too strange not to be – but everyone else walked past them as though nothing was out of the ordinary. It was odd, to know that there was magic in the world, and no one else seemed to see it but her. Sarah thought about approaching some of the beings she saw: but they were always strange and frightening, and Sarah wasn’t sure what to say anyway, and in the end Sarah hurried on past them without saying a word.

Sarah didn’t know what to do about her situation, but she at least knew what to do about the iron horseshoe. She waited until she was left alone to babysit Toby, and used the end of the broom to knock the horseshoe onto the floor. From there Sarah picked it up with a tea towel, flinching as she did so, and took the horseshoe outside to hide at the back of the garden shed.

When she was done, she went inside to check on Toby. He was awake, and babbled excitedly at the sight of her, waving his hands about to emphasise his joy.

Sarah picked him up out of his cot, and carried him downstairs. She plopped him down on the carpet and turned on the TV, before walking back to sit down next to her brother on the floor.

Toby looked entranced by the sounds and moving images on screen, and Sarah watched him fondly. She hadn’t liked him much, for a long time, but most of that had really been resentment at her father and stepmother. It wasn’t Toby’s fault, and Sarah had matured enough to see that, now. With that veil of furious resentment stripped away, Toby was actually a pretty endearing little kid. It didn’t excuse Sarah’s father and stepmother for trying to give him everything at Sarah’s expense, but that wasn’t Toby’s fault either.

Watching him, Sarah spoke without thinking.

“I wish I knew why I’m turning into one of the fae,” she said.

An instant later she realised what she’d done, and slapped a hand over her mouth, looking fearfully to the windows, scooping Toby into her arms and clutching him tightly.

But a minute passed, and then several minutes more, and nothing happened.

Sarah didn’t relax. But she did put Toby down on the floor next to her again.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully, but Sarah was relieved when her father and his wife finally came home. It was somehow easier to forget what was going on, when her father and stepmother were around – like they cancelled out some of the effects, in some mysterious way. Maybe it was because they were so normal, Sarah thought.

Even so, Sarah didn’t relax until she was alone in her bed, drifting off to sleep.

The wish she’d made still hung in the air, waiting to be fulfilled.

* * *

That night Sarah dreamed that she was in a forest, all endless green growing things and tall, stately trees, while voices whispered on the wind.

Sarah let her hands run over the trunks of trees and the leaves of bushes as she walked, flowers entwined in her hair and falling at her feet. Fairies flitted through the foliage, but left Sarah alone.

The sound of laughter made her turn.

There was a woman standing to Sarah’s left, but to merely describe her as a woman was inadequate. She was dressed in shimmering green silks, her long red hair falling in ripples across her shoulders, and her eyes were huge and even greener than Sarah’s. She was smiling, laughter still upon her lips, and the sight of her was so stunning that Sarah almost overlooked the golden circlet that sat upon her head.

Fae, Sarah thought with certainty.

“And so another descendant of mine finds their way here,” said the Fae lady in a glad voice. “And what is your name, young one?”

Sarah opened her mouth to answer, but the memory of a piece of folk-lore flitted through her head, and she closed her mouth instead. Names had power, according to tradition, especially where fae and fairies were concerned. So Sarah held her tongue, instead of following her impulse to give her name to the beautiful fae woman.

“This is a dream,” Sarah said instead, looking around the forest that made her feel instinctively at home.

“Well, of course it is,” said the fae lady, laughing again.  “But that doesn’t make it any less real. I ask you again, child: what is your name?”

“My name is my own,” said Sarah. The fae lady clucked her tongue.

“Is that so, young one?” she asked, and as Sarah watched, the lady seemed to grow taller and more imposing before her eyes. “Do you know who I am? I am Titania, High Queen of the Fae. You would deny me the name of one of my subjects?”

Titania? That was a name Sarah knew, and the realisation that she was facing the High Queen of the Fae almost made her tremble. But Sarah took a deep breath, and tilted her head to a defiant angle.

“Yes, I would, and I am no subject of yours,” Sarah retorted boldly.

She expected anger or disappointment, but instead Titania only widened her eyes a little.

“Well,” she said, “that _is_ unexpected. Most wouldn’t say that, you know.”

“I’m not most people,” said Sarah. “What did you mean, when you called me your descendant?”

Titania smiled.

“I meant exactly that, child,” she said. “You carry my blood in my veins. I suppose one of my children must have had a dalliance in the mortal realm, at some point. It’s not unheard-of for fae blood to make itself known after several generations, but it is unusual. Why you, I wonder?” The fae queen put a finger to her lips. “Why should your heritage make itself known now? How has magic touched you?”

“Touched me?” Sarah echoed.

“Indeed,” said Titania. “Something has awoken your heritage in you, quite strongly, and only a brush with magic could have done such a thing. What magic have you known, to come into your birthright?”

Sarah thought of the Labyrinth, and her encounters with the Goblin King, and felt a flush stain her cheeks at the reminder of her own folly.

“I – I wished my brother away to the goblins,” she confessed. “And then I won him from the Goblin King.”

“Now here is a tale,” said Titania, sounding intrigued. “You must tell me all.”

So Sarah recounted the long, embarrassing story; and when she was done, the fae queen clapped her hands, looking delighted.

“The Goblin King ensnared at last, and by one of my own!” She threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, I have not been this amused in an age!”

“I don’t understand,” said Sarah, frowning. “It was all a trick – wasn’t it?”

“Oh, dear one,” said Titania, looking far too amused. She smile benevolently. “It was no trick. The Goblin King would not take such a risk for something as petty as a wished-away child. I’m afraid you truly won his heart, my dear.” She shook her head, and laughed again. “And he lost on all accounts. The poor fool has only himself to blame, playing such games with a girl too young to understand them.”

“Then – he was really offering…?” Sarah wasn’t sure what she felt more: horrified, or mortified.

“His kingdom and his heart alike,” said the fae queen. “It shall do him good to be turned down, I think. He was always a spoiled boy, that one.”

“Boy?” Sarah repeated. She could feel her face burning with the heat of her embarrassment.

“By fae standards, he is barely an adult, despite how he appears,” Titania remarked. “The fae grow to adulthood in body long before they do so in mind, far more so than mortals do. Jareth is a spoiled boy, but not a bad-hearted one. Perhaps this whole incident shall teach him something.”

Titania still seemed amused by the whole story. Well, it was better than her being angry, Sarah supposed.

“Jareth,” said Sarah, latching on the name. “Is that the Goblin King’s name?”

“It is,” Titania confirmed. “But do not speak it lightly. Call him thrice, and the Goblin King will come. Such is the power of a name.”

“But  - he knows _my_ name,” Sarah stammered.

“Well, then.” The fae queen smiled, and the shadows of the trees which fell across her face made her look even more ethereal than before. “This _will_ be interesting.”

And she took a step forward, and touched a fingertip to Sarah’s forehead.

Sarah woke abruptly, gasping as she found herself back in her bedroom, the air stuffy and still. Sarah scrambled to open a window, and leaned out, taking deep breaths of the cool, clean air.

Her dream had been so vivid, and the fae queen’s words came back to Sarah.

“Just because it is a dream, doesn’t make it any less real,” Sarah murmured to herself.

She put a hand to her head, wondering at the light weight there, and found herself lifting down a wreath of flowers. Sarah stared at it for a long moment.

“So, that was real,” she said, not really surprised. The scent of the flowers was strong, and began to fill the room.

There was the screech of an owl outside, and Sarah jumped. She stared out of the window, searching, but the owl was nowhere in sight.

Sarah firmly shut her window, just in case.

She left the wreath of flowers on her dresser, and climbed back into bed, her heart fluttering.

* * *

Over the next few days, Sarah found herself thinking about the Goblin King, and about what Titania had said. The rest of it – Sarah being one of Titania’s descendants, and so on – was surprisingly easy for her to accept. But for some reason, Titania’s words about the Goblin King rang in her head, making Sarah flush at the thought.

She didn’t know why it should matter so much that the Goblin King had been sincere in his attempt to woo her – it wasn’t as though Sarah would have accepted him anyway. And yet –

Part of Sarah was deeply flattered, and the rest of her – well. ‘Confused and flustered’ was probably a good description.

Sarah might be young, but she wasn’t so young that the Goblin King hadn’t had an effect on her. Yes, he had been terrifying and sinister, but he had also been… Sarah blushed at the thought… _attractive._ Sarah wasn’t an adult – maybe if she was, she would have dealt better with the Goblin King – but she was grown-up enough to appreciate a good-looking man, and the Goblin King, whatever else he was, had definitely been that.

Maybe if Sarah hadn’t been so frightened of him, and so frightened for Toby, the Goblin King’s offer would have had more allure. As it was, now she’d had time to think it through… she couldn’t help but feel a _little_ curious about what would have happened if she’d said yes.

“Ugh,” said Sarah, from where she lay on her bed, thinking, and punched her pillow in frustration.

She didn’t know why she kept thinking about the Goblin King. But it was driving her crazy.

Several weeks passed, and Sarah began to notice a growing trend in the way people treated her. Some people seemed to see through her, as though she wasn’t there, and only noticed Sarah if she deliberately tried to get their attention. Other people, on the other hand, seemed suddenly fascinated by her. Girls who had always dismissed Sarah as a baby who needed to grow up now wanted to be her friend, while boys who had never given Sarah a second look were suddenly hanging around her, trying to win her attention and asking her on dates.

Some of them were cute, but Sarah had never been especially interested in boys – oh sure, they might be good-looking, but most of them were pretty immature, and Sarah didn’t like the way they laughed at her dreams and fancies. Besides, at this age, none of them were interested in something serious, and Sarah _was_. She didn’t want a practice boyfriend, to fumble around with and then break up with after a few months. She wanted something real and lasting, and that wasn’t going to happen, not with a boy her age.

So Sarah turned them all down as nicely as she was able, and resolved to wait until she was older to date. Not everyone took it well, and one afternoon Sarah stalked home in a temper, slamming the front door behind her as she entered the house.

“Sarah?” Irene’s voice drifted from the kitchen, and Irene appeared, raising her eyebrows at Sarah’s stormy expression. “Is something wrong?”

Sarah let out a huff.

“ _Boys_ ,” she said, as though the one word explained everything, and added, “Boys who don’t like to be told no, specifically.”

Irene’s face filled with understanding, and then sympathy. Sarah still didn’t like her stepmother all that much, but she had to admit that Irene was at least better with these things than Sarah’s own mother was. Linda usually didn’t have the time for adolescent drama.

The only drama she had time for was her own, Sarah thought uncharitably, and even though she was a little ashamed to think it, she knew it was true.

“Boys, huh?” Irene asked.

“They’re so immature,” Sarah fumed, “and when I say I’m not interested, they act like I’ve denied them something they’re entitled to.”

The boy who had asked her out this afternoon had been worse than most of them: he was arrogant and full of himself, and everyone knew that he was the leader of the group that liked to beat up the eighth and ninth grade boys and steal their lunch money. When Sarah had turned him down he’d acted like it was a  personal affront, and had grabbed Sarah roughly by the arm when she tried to walk away. He’d immediately let her go like he’d been shocked, but Sarah had been angry enough to slap him across the face and tell him that no meant _no_ , and she’d rather date a frog than him because at least it would have better manners. Some of the other kids had laughed at that, but Sarah had left before anyone could say anything else to anger her.

The way that all the boy’s friends had scrambled to get out of her way had been somehow satisfying.

Irene looked concerned at Sarah’s words.

“None of them have tried anything, have they?” she asked Sarah, and Sarah shook her head.

“Not so far, but someone grabbed my arm today when I tried to leave after I turned him down,” she said. “I slapped him.”

“Is there a teacher you can talk to about this?” Irene asked, looking even more concerned. Sarah made a face.

“I’m not going to tell a teacher. I’m not a baby, you know. I can take care of myself.”

Sarah wasn’t sure, but she thought that it had been magic that made her unwanted paramour let go of her arm. It had felt like something had invisible had surrounded her, furious and buzzing.

“Are you sure?” Irene asked.

Sarah managed to summon up a reassuring smile.

“I’m sure,” she said. “They’re just silly boys, really. They won’t go too far.”

And if they tried, Sarah thought that her magic might stop them.

“Your father and I worry about you, you know,” said Irene, still watching Sarah with mild worry.

“I know,” said Sarah. “But you don’t need to. Everything’s fine.”

* * *

Sarah wasn’t sure what it was that woke her, but she came awake slowly, and gradually realised that there was a tugging ache in her chest. Sarah knew instinctively that it was some kind of summons.

Sarah should have been worried or afraid, but all she felt was excitement and a rising sense of anticipation. She slipped out of bed and threw on a jacket, still wearing her nightie, and grabbing her keys, slipped downstairs. She tiptoed to the back door, opening it carefully and fumbling for her keys, unlocking the door and sneaking out. She locked the door behind her, and storing her keys in her jacket pocket, walked out into the night.

Everything looked different in the darkness, the street lights bright beacons whose light was rapidly swallowed up within a few feet. The familiar walk to the park was alien and strange, as Sarah walked a landscape that seemed different to the one she knew by daylight.

She wasn’t sure when that landscape changed, but after a while the streetlights vanished and the distant sound of cars disappeared, leaving Sarah walking alone in silence beneath the moonlight.

The moon was full, and very bright.

After a while Sarah heard noise up ahead. She could hear the roar of shouted voices, the whinny of horses, and a sound like thunder. She stood and waited, watching the hill before her.

Within a few minutes a dark mass rolled over the top of the hill and down towards Sarah. She could make out the shape of horses, pale silver in the moonlight, and their riders. The thunderous sound of the horses’ hooves striking the earth grew louder, but Sarah stood her ground as the fearsome sight swept towards her.

A commanding cry split the air, and somehow, the mass of horses and riders slowed to a stop, not far from Sarah. Sarah looked up at the riders leading the hunt, and was not surprised to find herself looking up into the lovely face of Titania.

There was no laughter in her face tonight, however, only fierceness and hunger, the same hunger that beat beneath Sarah’s breastbone – a yearning for wildness and freedom.

“My queen,” said Sarah, and Titania smiled, blood-thirsty and even more beautiful than before.

“Child,” said Titania, and held out a hand to Sarah, while on the horse beside her a man with hair not too different from the Goblin King’s looked down at Sarah with deep blue eyes.

Somehow Sarah understood Titania’s gesture. She stepped forward, taking the fae queen’s hand, and was hauled up behind her on the horse.

The fae king gave another sharp cry, and the horses began to move again, the riders once more taking up the hunt.

Sarah didn’t know how long she spent being jolted around on the horse’s back, clinging to Titania, as the hills around them echoed with the howls and snarls of fae riders and their hounds.

Sarah glanced up at the wide round moon above them – so much bigger and brighter than it was at home – she noticed a shadow flicker across it. As she watched the shape dipped down, and resolved into a white avian shape – a barn owl, fluttering in the sky above the hunt. The owl dipped low over the crowd of riders, letting out a screech as it veered over Titania.

The fae queen looked up, and laughed at the sight of the owl. That seemed to be enough. The owl winged its way upwards again, high in the air, and flew away across the landscape as the hunt surged onwards, leaving it behind.

Sarah turned her head, and watched the owl until it became a tiny white speck, and then nothing.

She wondered if she had been seen.

It was not until the dawn began to touch the horizon that the hunt began to slow, riders and horses tiring. The yearning behind Sarah’s breastbone dulled, and disappeared as the sun rose, leaving her yawning, and barely keeping her seat on the horse.

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, the rest of the hunt was gone, and Titania’s horse was standing in the park near Sarah’s house. The early-morning traffic was just beginning, and the world was wrapped in the yellow glow of dawn light.

“This is where I leave you,” said Titania, and Sarah swung down off the horse, feeling weary and small and uncertain. She looked up at Titania, who gave her a kind smile, before spurring her horse into action. A moment later, Sarah stood alone in the park.

The walk home was slow and tiring, and Sarah was glad to reach her house. She unlocked the door and slipped inside, locking the door again behind her, and sneaked upstairs to her room.

Throwing her jacket on her desk chair, Sarah tumbled down into bed, and her last conscious thought was to wonder whether this would happen every time the hunt rode.

* * *

The rest of the year passed without incident (apart from the ongoing problem of failing electronics, and the occasional ride with the fae queen and her riders), and Christmas eventually came around.  On Christmas Day Sarah found herself wearing a hideous sweater and playing with Toby in her bedroom while her father and stepmother were downstairs cooking Christmas dinner.

The radio was playing as Sarah, laughing, waved one of her stuffed toys at her little brother, who babbled excitedly and grabbed at it. Sarah let him have the bear, smiling as Toby hugged it close. Straightening up, her eye was caught by movement at the window. Sarah turned to glance at it, and grew still.

There was an owl resting on the windowsill, peering in through Sarah’s bedroom window.

Sarah glanced at Toby. He hadn’t noticed the bird, too busy chewing on the teddy’s ear.

For a moment Sarah was worried, but she reassured herself that there was nothing to fear: Toby had been well and truly won, and the Goblin King was bound not to touch him.

Sarah crossed the room, and opened the window. Cold air immediately blasted inside. The bird looked up at her in what appeared to be surprise.

“Hello, Jareth,” said Sarah.

The bird flapped its wings and landed in Sarah’s bedroom in a flurry of motion, and a moment later the Goblin King stood before her. Sarah shut the window.

Toby laughed in delight at the transformation, and Jareth glanced briefly at him before looking back at Sarah. He didn’t seem pleased.

“How do you know that name?” he demanded. “I never gave you my name, Sarah.”

“You know mine. It’s only fair,” said Sarah. Jareth glared at her, and Sarah laughed, and tucked her hair behind one pointed ear. Jareth’s eyes widened slightly.

“Titania told me,” said Sarah, as she bent and scooped Toby up, and sat on her bed with him in her lap. “I’m descended from her, you see.”

Jareth went still at Sarah’s words. Even scowling, the Goblin King seemed less fearsome than the last time Sarah had seen him. Perhaps it was because she was fae herself, now, or perhaps because, this time, it wasn’t Jareth that the power resided with. This house was Sarah’s, and Jareth was nothing more than a guest here, with no unwise wish to grant him power over her.

“You are of the High Queen’s bloodline?” he asked. “But there was no sign…” His eyes widened in realisation. “The Labyrinth.”

“That’s right,” said Sarah, and smiled at him. She was, she thought wonderingly, enjoying herself. “The magic of the Labyrinth woke the magic that was in my blood, and so here I am, part-fae. But why are _you_ here, Goblin King? I don’t remember making a wish.”

“What does it matter to you, why I am here?” Jareth asked, sounding haughty and a little petulant. “I go where I will, Sarah.”

“My windowsill, on Christmas Day?” Sarah let disbelief infuse her tone.

Toby babbled something and waved a hand at the Goblin King. Sarah looked down at him.

“That’s the Goblin King, Toby,” she said. “Do you remember him?”

Toby babbled what sounded like agreement, and Sarah smiled at him, before glancing back up at Jareth.

“I won my brother back fair and square, so that can’t be it,” said Sarah. “So why are you here?”

“Are you really going to make me say it, Sarah?” asked Jareth, taking a step closer.

Sarah eyed him thoughtfully.

“You know, I think I am,” she said playfully, but with an undertone of seriousness.

“I came to see you, Sarah,” said Jareth. “For though I hold no power over you, my heart yearns for you still.” He took another step forward. “Come with me, Sarah. Come back to the Underground, and I will make you my queen.”

Sarah looked down at Toby, to buy herself time to think about her answer. Toby was staring in fascination at the Goblin King. It was probably the feathers on his coat. Toby liked feathers.

Sarah looked up again to meet Jareth’s eyes, and considered. The song on the radio was bright and cheerful, in counterpoint to the tense mood of the room.

“But Goblin King, I am not yet sixteen,” said Sarah. “By law, I am still a child.”

“Not by fae law,” said Jareth.

“But I’m not just fae, am I?” Sarah pointed out. “I’m still human enough for this to be my home. This is where my heart is, not the Underground.”

Sarah saw Jareth’s eyes shutter, a scowl overtaking his face.

“I am offering you your dreams,” he said, as though Sarah was a fool.

“I’m part fae and part human,” said Sarah, “I can spin my own dreams, and it’s up to me to make them come to life. I don’t need someone else to grant them.”

Jareth took a step back.

Sarah wasn’t sure when she’d stopped fearing the Goblin King, but looking at him now, Sarah felt only a sense of curiosity and interest. To be sure, in some ways he was as much of a childish brat as the boys at school – and yet, in others, he was far more mature. The contradiction intrigued Sarah – had always intrigued her, if she was being totally honest. It was only now, without the fear, that she could admit it.

“Sarah,” said Jareth, his voice reproving and hurt. “What are you saying?”

Sarah lifted her chin, with as much regal dignity as was possible with a toddler on her lap.

“I don’t need my dreams granted,” said Sarah. “I don’t need pretty gowns, or jewels, or a kingdom to rule. I seek only a heart that is loyal and true.”

Jareth stopped where he was, and Sarah saw the flash of hope in his eyes.

“Sarah…”

“One day, I won’t be a child anymore,” said Sarah. “On that day, ask me again, Goblin King, and tell me what you have to offer me.”

Jareth’s eyes flashed with something that looked a lot like triumph, but he inclined his head.

“When the time comes, precious, we will meet again,” he said, the words a promise.

Sarah held her head high.

“I am not easily won, Jareth,” she said.

“So I perceive,” said the Goblin King. “Until then, Sarah.” He gave Sarah one last long look, glanced at Toby, and a moment later a barn owl flapped its wings, and flew from the room as the window blew open by itself.

Sarah got to her feet, shivering slightly in the icy air coming from the open window. She sat Toby down on the floor for a moment, and crossed the room to shut the open window.

Just then there was a call from the hallway.

“Sarah! Dinner’s ready!” her father shouted, and Sarah yelled back, “Coming!”

She sent one last glance towards the window, at the barn owl soaring across the sky, before she picked Toby up again. Resting him on her hip, Sarah headed for the bedroom door.

As she walked downstairs, Sarah hoped that she’d made the right decision. Adulthood was still years away, she thought, which would give her time to make up her mind one way or another – whether it was to reject Jareth forever, or to further explore her interest in the Goblin King.

As she reached the dining room Sarah put aside thoughts of the Goblin King as best she could, and summoned up a bright smile as she joined her father and Irene, still with Toby on her hip.

Irene immediately moved to take Toby from her, but Sarah said, “It’s all right, I’ve got him,” and put Toby in his high chair by herself. Toby immediately began banging his hands against the tray table, babbling merrily in words that almost made sense.

Sarah took a seat in the chair next to Toby’s high chair, where she could keep an eye on him and entertain him during the meal.

Sarah’s father was busy bringing the food in from the kitchen, but Irene watched the  two of them with a soft look in her eyes.

“The two of you get along so well now,” Irene mused. “It’s such a difference from the beginning of the year.”

Sarah shrugged.

“I grew up a little, that’s all.”

“I know.” Irene’s expression was still soft. “You’ve changed so much this year. You went from being – if I’m honest – a bit of a brat, to a mature young lady. Your father is very proud of you, you know.”

“Then he should tell me so himself,” said Sarah. “Just because I’m growing up doesn’t mean I don’t still need to hear him say things like that.”

“I know.” Irene rolled her eyes a little. “But you know your father.” She laughed slightly. “I keep telling him that you’re going to be an adult before he even knows it, but he insists that that’s a while away.”

“Maybe not as much as he thinks,” Sarah muttered, thinking of the deal she’d made with Jareth. She looked at Irene. “I’m almost sixteen. It’s only a little over two years until I’m an adult, and then who knows what I’ll do.”

“Believe me, I’ve tried to tell him,” said Irene. “But he insists that you’re still his little girl.”

Sarah shook her head, as her father entered the room with the turkey. The conversation took a more cheerful turn, but Sarah couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation she’d had with Irene, and the deal she’d made with the Goblin King.

What would happen when the two years were up?

* * *

“I saw the Goblin King,” said Sarah to Titania, the next time she wandered into the fae realm in her dreams. Titania always seemed to know when this happened, and to seek her out. The fae queen had become an important figure in Sarah’s life: her role was somewhere between secondary mother figure and favourite aunt. Sarah still wasn’t sure how this had happened, exactly, except that the fae queen was willing to listen to Sarah’s problems, and acted like she cared about what happened to Sarah, and never treated her as anything less than someone capable of making her own decisions.

At Sarah’s words Titania leaned forward, all rapt attention.

“Is that so? And how, pray tell, did this come about?”

“He was in owl form, and I saw him on my windowsill, peering in,” said Sarah. “Which is a bit creepy, actually, now I think about it. But I opened the window and greeted him by name. He wasn’t exactly pleased, I think.”

Titania gave her tinkling laugh.

“No I shouldn’t think so. Do go on. What happened next?”

“He told me that his heart still yearned for me, and asked me to come back to the Underground with him as his queen,” said Sarah.

“And you said?” The fae queen raised one shapely eyebrow.

“I asked him to come back and ask me again when I’m an adult,” Sarah admitted. “He agreed, and then he left.”

Titania looked delighted.

“Well, how exciting!” She looked at Sarah slyly. “Do you intend to accept him, when he returns?”

“I don’t know.” Sarah looked down at where her hands were in her lap. “I’m too young to make decisions about forever. But I’ve bought myself time to think about it, at least.”

“Do you have an affection for him?” Titania asked knowingly.

Sarah made a face.

“I wouldn’t say an _affection_ ,” she argued. “But… he interests me, and he’s not like the boys my age – I know that he’s looking for someone to spend his life with, just as I am. He’s not interested in just a fling, and I have to admit that that’s attractive to me.”

“And so is he, I assume.” Titania sounded amused, and Sarah blushed, but nodded bashfully.

“Well, this is a pretty little romance,” Titania announced, smiling. “I’m sure that you will make the right decision, child, but should you need advice at any time, I will gladly give it.”

“Thank you.” Sarah gave her a grateful look. “This isn’t exactly something I can talk to my stepmother about, and my own mother – well, it’s hard to talk to her about these things when I haven’t seen her for months. I used to visit her a lot, but now that we’re living in different cities, I can’t really up and leave anymore without disrupting school and everything.” She snorted. “Not to mention that dad and Ire– my stepmother, I mean, would actually have to hire a babysitter, for once.”

Sarah tried never to mention any of her family’s names, just on principle. She’d almost slipped up just then, but had corrected herself at the last minute. She was fond of the fae queen, but wasn’t sure how much she actually trusted her.

“Besides,” Sarah added, “I can’t exactly talk to mom about fae things, can I? Even if she believed me, she wouldn’t understand.”

Titania patted her hand.

“Mortals never do,” was her sage advice. “They expect us to think and behave in the same way as they do, and are forever surprised and suspicious when we do not.”

“I know.” Sarah laughed a little. “I’ve read a lot of the stories. I’ve always loved myths and fairytales, and folktales. All the wonder and magic in them. Although I didn’t appreciate the danger in them until I found myself facing the Goblin King.”

“And did you learn your lesson?” Titania asked.

“I did,” Sarah said soberly. “The world of magic is a wondrous and beautiful thing, but also a terrible and dangerous one. You should enjoy it, but you still need to be careful, and to understand the rules.”

“Good,” said the fae queen. “If you have learned that, then your adventure with the Labyrinth was not in vain.”

“My stepmother says I’ve changed, since the Labyrinth,” said Sarah. “That I’ve grown up. I don’t feel any different, but when I looked back on what I’ve done, I wonder that I used to be so childish.”

“That is what growing up is like,” said Titania. She smiled gently. “You do not simply wake up one day with a radically new perspective. The change happens gradually.”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Sarah. She got to her feet, and stretched. “Thank you for listening to me,” she said, as she always did before she left.

Titania smiled in response.

“You are welcome, young one.”

* * *

Shortly after the New Year, Sarah was on her way to the cinema at the centre of town. Her magic always made the TV turn to static, at this point, but her seat in the cinema was usually far enough away from the equipment that she could see a film without it fizzling out.

Half-way there, Sarah heard a set of footsteps suddenly fall into sync with hers. She glanced over her shoulder, and stopped where she was, staring.

It was the Goblin King – but not in his usual guise. His hair still stood in all directions, but he was wearing _jeans,_ and a David Bowie t-shirt, with a leather jacket thrown over the entire ensemble. Sarah could tell that he was wearing some kind of glamour to disguise his features, even though she herself was able to see through it.

“Hello, Sarah,” said Jareth.

“Jareth,” said Sarah, acutely conscious of the ordinary people passing by. “What are you doing here?”

“You’re going to see a film, yes?” said Jareth. “I thought I might accompany you.” He smiled at her.

“To what end?” Sarah asked.

Jareth manifested a crystal, and turned it. It twisted in his hands, to become a single red rose, and Jareth held it out to Sarah. Sarah didn’t know much about the language of flowers, but she knew about roses, and red roses signified love, while a single rose indicated that Sarah was the only recipient of Jareth’s affections.

Sarah took it, and while she considered putting it in her shirt pocket, over her heart, decided that that was a little too much encouragement. She tucked it behind one ear instead, and watched as the Goblin King frowned slightly.

“I suppose I could use some company,” she said with a smile, and Jareth’s expression lightened. He offered her his arm, a courtly gesture which Sarah couldn’t help but feel a little charmed by. Sarah laughed, but took his arm.

They walked the rest of the way to the cinema arm-in-arm. To Sarah’s surprise, Jareth was perfectly polite, and chatted to her as they walked. Sarah was almost sorry when they reached the cinema: this new side of Jareth was a pleasant one, and Sarah was interested in getting to know it better.

As they sat in the cinema Jareth took Sarah’s hand and held it, but made no other move on her, for which Sarah was equal parts glad and disappointed.

The film was good, and Sarah found herself drawn into it. Every now and then she would remember Jareth’s presence by her side, and glance at him to see what he thought of the film. Jareth’s eyes were always fixed on the screen, his expression suggesting that he was as interested in it as Sarah was.

Afterwards, Sarah bought the two of them ice-creams from the candy bar, and they stood around outside the cinema to eat them, Sarah laughing at Jareth’s look of startled surprise as he took his first bite.

“Never had ice-cream before?” Sarah asked, grinning, as Jareth looked down at his ice-cream as though he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“Never,” said Jareth. He took another mouthful, his expression contemplative. Sarah watched him eat it.

“What do you think?” she asked. Jareth thought for a moment.

“The flavour is pleasant,” he decided, and Sarah laughed again, and started eating her own ice-cream before it could melt.

When they were done, Jareth offered to walk her home, and Sarah accepted.

“So what’s it like, ruling over the goblins?” Sarah asked, as they walked.

“Dull, mostly, interspersed with periods of exasperating activity,” said Jareth. “My subjects aren’t exactly up to the task of holding a riveting conversation, although I admit that their antics sometimes amuse me.” He asked Sarah a question of his own. “How did you come to meet the High Queen?”

“I wandered into her realm in my dreams,” said Sarah, and Jareth looked surprised.

“Dream-walking? That’s an unusual skill, even amongst the fae,” he said. “The High Queen must be pleased to have such an accomplished descendant.” He sent Sarah a sideways glance. “She has precious few descendants of fae blood. Most of them have interbred with mortals, and the bloodline has been diminished because of it. I have no doubt she values you highly.”

“I don’t know about that,” said Sarah. “But she’s always pleased to see me, and willing to listen to my problems. I think she likes you, although she called you a spoiled boy,” Sarah added with a grin.

Jareth raised his eyes to the sky for a moment.

“My father was her husband’s cousin,” he said. “She knew me when I was still in swaddling clothes, and forgets that I am no longer a child.” He waited for Sarah to giggle, and then asked slyly: “So you have discussed me with the High Queen, have you?”

Sarah felt a blush bloom across her face.

“Perhaps,” was all she said. Jareth looked pleased.

“I am glad to know I feature in your thoughts, precious,” he said. Sarah found that one unanswerable: she looked carefully ahead, and didn’t glance in Jareth’s direction. She could still feel the heat in her cheeks, and knew that her blush had only worsened.

Jareth walked Sarah all the way home, and when Sarah stopped at her driveway, he stood and waited.

“Thank you for going to the movies with me,” said Sarah. “I had a nice time.” And before her nerve could desert her, she stepped forward and pressed a kiss to Jareth’s cheek.

Blushing furiously, she turned and ran for the house, hearing Jareth’s happy laughter behind her.

Inside, Sarah leaned against the front door for a moment, thinking about what she’d just done.

She still wasn’t sure whether she wanted to spend forever with Jareth. But she was beginning to think that she’d enjoy finding out.

* * *

One outcome of Jareth’s courtship was that Sarah became aware of a goblin following her at all times. It wasn’t always the same goblin, Sarah was fairly certain, although they stayed hidden enough that it was hard to be sure. They never caused much trouble, though, and stayed out of Sarah’s room when she was changing clothes, so Sarah didn’t much mind the constant, background presence.

“Marcie next door said she saw you with a boy the other day,” Irene commented one weekend at breakfast, about a week after Sarah had seen the film with Jareth.

Sarah’s father choked on his breakfast.

“She what?”

Both Sarah and Irene ignored his exclamation.

“Did she?” Sarah asked, as nonchalantly as possible. “What did she say?”

“She said that you walked home with a nice-looking boy your age, and that she saw you kiss him on the cheek before you went inside,” said Irene, smiling knowingly. “And that you had a rose in your hair.”

Sarah shrugged, but couldn’t hide her blush.

“Marcie needs to stop spying on her neighbours,” she said, with as much dignity as possible.

“Probably,” said Irene, looking amused, and for just a moment, Sarah was reminded of Titania’s smile. There was something in Irene’s amused expression that was the same. “Does this boy have a name?”

Sarah thought quickly.

“Jay,” she lied. “I ran into him on the way to the cinema, and he asked if I wanted company. So I said yes.”

“Do you like him?” Irene pressed.

“I hardly know him,” Sarah said. “But maybe a little. We had a nice time.”

“Since when are you interested in boys?” Sarah’s father asked plaintively. Irene laughed, and patted his hand.

“She’s almost sixteen, Rob,” Irene told Sarah’s father. “Of course she’s interested in boys. She just has the wisdom to be selective.”

“I’m not going to do anything stupid,” said Sarah, and thought, unless you count making promises to an infatuated Goblin King.

“Of course not,” said Sarah’s father, not looking particularly reassured. “I just worry, Sarah.”

“Well, you don’t need to,” said Sarah. “I can look after myself.”

Sarah’s father looked proud, and a little sad.

“I know you can,” he said. “Sometimes I forget how fast you’re growing up. Just… don’t be in too much of a hurry, Sarah.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sarah said.

“Are you going to see Jay again?” Irene asked.

“He’ll probably see me,” said Sarah, “whether I mean to see him or not.”

“He sounds keen,” said Irene. Sarah flushed again.

“He is,” she said. “But he’s behaving like a gentleman.” Much to Sarah’s surprise.

“Good,” said Sarah’s father.

The table lapsed back into silence, and Sarah ate her breakfast thoughtfully, and wondered how, when the time came, she could possibly introduce the Goblin King to her family. Knowing her father and Irene, they'd want to meet him as soon as possible.

It would be a challenge, Sarah thought, just like everything else was. Coming up with a cover story to explain him – and remembering to stick to it – would be difficult. But Sarah was confident that she could do it.

She drifted back to thinking about Jareth.

Two years was a long time. But Sarah had a feeling that they would pass surprisingly quickly. She just hoped she had an answer for the Goblin King when the time came.

 

 


End file.
